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With so many companies transitioning to online activities, standing out can become difficult. Making these virtual experiences fun, human, authentic and competitive can help companies maintain and attract new customers. In addition, companies can gather useful information about customers while displaying interest in the community. Customers likely will hold on to these memories well after these dark days are over.

It’s easy to see why some, if not all comms pros are suffering from stress or anxiety induced by the coronavirus. Longer hours and larger workloads while homeschooling children or spending days in isolation have great effects on mental health and well-being. We spoke to several agencies and practitioners to see how they are supporting staff and themselves during this time.

Information about the coronavirus pandemic mostly has been built around straight messaging: wash your hands, stay home, save lives. The term Chinese virus has entered the public lexicon. Marginalizing ethnicities during a public health crisis can trigger xenophobia. In addition, it does not engender needed public engagement.

Since brands are trusted more than politicians, this dark moment is an opportunity for them to shine, argues creative director Mark Sorensen. He offers several ways brands and their leaders can help direct the public to do the right thing, proving that capitalism cares about more than profits.

Working in quarantine poses unique challenges for communicators. What videoconference tools should you be using? Can you air a video press conference or statement from your CEO remotely? These questions and more were asked of PRNEWS’ recent webinar panel on COVID-19 communications. For answers, we scoured the web and polled the PRNEWS community for their favorite internal and external digital communications tools amid the crisis.

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rise, your organization likely will need to respond to media about an employee(s) testing positive. This is not a time to panic. To help you respond, we offer guidance from the law firm of Goldberg Segalla. Key points include communicating calm, being transparent and offering accurate information about the employee and your coronavirus procedures.

Communications during COVID-19 is fraught with challenges. From communicating to employees about the potential for pay cuts, furloughs or even layoffs, to determining how to notify people of exposure to the virus, communicators have their work cut out for them. Since health care arguably is at the center of most of our lives at the moment, communications in and out of hospitals is in the spotlight.

You know things are bad when a chief communications officer longs for a ‘normal’ crisis. That’s the case for City of Toronto’s CCO Brad Ross as he works to communicate vital messages during coronavirus. At least crises during pre-COVID-19 had a timeline, Ross writes. “Give us a fighting chance. COVID-19 is otherworldly,” Ross laments.

If you post a brand-focused, non-coronavirus update to your social media account, how will your audience take it?
During a recent webinar hosted by PRNEWS, communicators mulled over the question, many of them concerned that promoting goods or services, fundraising efforts or other non-coronavirus content would come across as tone-deaf. To help clear up questions about when, why and whether to post to social in an unforeseen digital environment, we asked seven communicators to offer their takes.

As news fatigue sets in, communicators are left with an uphill battle. The situation changes daily, with deaths and infections ever-increasing and new policies and information about how individuals can stay safe being updated constantly. People still need information, the challenge for PR is to make sure they get it.